Computer Related > I fancy a Mac	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Iffy	Replies: 79

Sat 16 Oct 10 10:22   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

I could find a use for a 12 to 13-inch laptop - bit more room than my 10-inch netbook, but not as clunky as my 'full-size' laptop. I fancy a Mac, combining the two wants produces this: www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/apple-macbook-mc516b-a-06486970-pdt.html But it's £849. Is that really what they cost? I'm unfamiliar with the Apple range, are there any cheaper ones? Hard to justify £849 when I could buy the same screen size Windows laptop for £350. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 10:30   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

The MacBook is the cheapest Apple laptop and costs £849. The unibody all aluminium MacBook Pro starts from £999. If you look at the spec of CPU, RAM etc. you will realise they are overpriced. But the quality of the display will be a bit better than you get in most Windows laptops. For £350 the 13" laptop you mention will be inferior in quality to the Apple laptop and decent Windows ones too. I've just been buying a new laptop for our son and ended up with a 15.6" laptop because they are simply cheaper to make (more room for components). The decent 13.3" Windows based laptops were probably around £600 which is a bit closer to the Mac's in price. And don't forget the excellent free iLife software with the Mac too. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 10:36   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

Once you buy a Mac you won't want anything else - sharper graphics, quicker to start, less updating nonsense - I love my MacBook Pro and will replace the ageing Gateway I use for everyday stuff with an iPad (probably).. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 10:43   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

There are rumours that the replacement to the MacBook Air will have a smaller screen. Makes sense to me. The laptop I got this week was for our son. If it was for me I'd have got a MacBook Pro at around £940 (I get a discount as do a lot of people) although the MacBook is £800. I know you could get faster for cheaper in the PC but it would be good enough - I'm thinking the 13" MacBook's have still got Core2Duo CPUs to increase profit. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 11:59   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...Once you buy a Mac you won't want anything else... I'm sure that's right. I hadn't realised the nearest competition would be a £600 Windows laptop. Don't fancy that, so I might risk a closer inspection of the £849 Mac, which will probably come to nearer £1,000 with a couple of accessories. A lovely machine like that demands a genuine Apple mouse and case, doesn't it? Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 12:43   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

I got a new Bluetooth Apple mouse for 15 quid on another forum I frequent, vital for gaming - which I indulge in now and again. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 13:28   I fancy a Mac - Manatee

>>I fancy a Mac So did I until I saw the prices. I commented to a Mac using friend recently that the the 4MB £899 & £999 ones seemed to have the same spec, and not a very high one at that. He uses a MacBook Air usually, and very good it is, but he seems to have most of the range in his household. He said if I was going for one of those I should definitely get the £999 aluminium one, as the £849/£899 polycarbonate ones are "not the same experience", and I believe him. A grand is too much for me though, so I have abandoned the idea. Several of the Mac people I know have become Apple groupies, and they end up spending a lot of money on new "stuff" and upgrades. It seems to spread from the MacBook/iMac to a better MacBook, iPhone, iPad, better iPhone... Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 15:53   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...A grand is too much for me though... Too much for me, too, on any sensible judgment. But buying computer toys isn't supposed to be sensible, is it? Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 17:53   I fancy a Mac - RattleandSmoke

People are comparing a low end Skoda to a top end BMW and saying that Skodas are cheap and nasty compared to the BMW. You need to compare a top end Skoda Suburb to a low end BMW 3 series. My PC has a picture as sharp as any MAC but then the compentents are far better quality than most systems you can get off the shelf. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 19:42   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Nice idea to compare a top end Skoda Superb to a low end BMW 3 series.... So the Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 4x4 Saloon is £28220 and a bottom end 2.0 318ES is £22155 (both list price. Not a fair comparison because the Skoda will be better screwed together no doubt. Some of the MacBook Pro design features and spec do warrant some of the extra cost. e.g. Unibody aluminium construction, large Lithium Ion battery giving true 10 hours run time (partly due to Mac OSX because the same hardware running Windows gives around half that)., very good quality display panels etc. Pick a well made Sony as a comparison and prices will be closer. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 20:08   I fancy a Mac - spamcan61

>> >> Pick a well made Sony as a comparison and prices will be closer. >> For sure it's not difficult to spend well over a grand on a Sony Vaio:- www.microanvika.com/product.asp?TXT=INFO&PNO=SON14253&ref=froogle&cam=SON14253&key=142457 for example Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 20:33   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...For sure it's not difficult to spend well over a grand on a Sony Vaio:-... I don't doubt it's a good piece of kit, but £1,800? Makes the Mac for a grand look cheap. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 21:12   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Another feature of the MacBook Pro is the key tips which illuminate in the dark. The standard MacBook cannot do this. A lot of laptops do not. Higher end ones do. Small features which make living with a laptop easier and a better experience. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 16 Oct 10 21:32   I fancy a Mac - swiss tony

I fancy a Mac as well - with fries, coke and a Mcflurry..... Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sun 17 Oct 10 11:20   I fancy a Mac - DP

I like Apple kit, but I just can't get past their pricing, and their "locked in" approach which promotes an almost cult-like attitude among many of their users. When I buy a piece of technology, I expect to be able to use it as I wish, not be dictated to by its manufacturer as to how I can use it, what I can install on it, what parts I can fit to it, and so on. Selling phones and music players with non-user replaceable batteries is just one example of their approach which I don't like. And personally speaking, I've never found the Windows / PC experience to be the horror story that many make it out to be. I have a media centre PC running XP. Auto updates turned on, good (free) AV installed, and 3 yrs and counting without a reinstall. The one before that was only because I changed the motherboard! When I've added new hardware, it boots with "Windows has found new hardware" click Next etc. Couldn't be easier. I know people who have Macs and love them, so I guess it's each to their own. I won't be adding myself to Apple's customer list any time soon though. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 08:06   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

I had a play with an AppleMac 13" Pro yesterday and I was very impressed. The windows open and close quickly, and opening a program has a real snap about it lacking on any Windows computer I've ever used. Apple's menu system is far more instinctive to me than Windows, where it seems easy to lose files. The screen's nice and bright, the battery lasts 10 hours or more. There's lots more to like, the way the task bar works, the purple screensaver, the aluminium case, the backlit keyboard, the decent speakers.... You can get a Bluetooth mouse - a snip at £60 - which gives brilliant cursor control, and clever stuff such as scrolling by stroking its shell, and the batteries last for months. The only drawback is the price, I haven't quite been able to persuade myself to spend £1,000 on a laptop. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 09:20   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Amazon have them for around £900. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 09:26   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...Amazon have them for around £900... Thanks for that. Rightly or wrongly, I would be wary of buying such a high-ticket item from 'cheapocomputers.com'. I'd rather walk into a retailer, and walk out with the computer. PC World/Currys are doing a 'trade-in any computer for £50' offer. I don't have a trade-in, but I reckon they could be persuaded to knock the £50 off anyway. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 09:42   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

I bought a Macbook Pro 13" a few months ago. I was largely influenced by the screen, the better rendition of greyscale is important for work, but I'm now very convinced by Mac for a laptop. I wouldn't buy a Mac desktop over Windows 7. Why? The advantages of a Mac laptop are: Robust design (unibody alu), great screen, instant on (usable in about a second), genuine 10 hour battery, multi-touch trackpad is something I wouldn't want to live without now, backlit keys can be handy, no lag on anything. So, other than the snappy feel to things, every other advantage is specific to a laptop, and for a desktop, Windoze 7 is pretty snappy on decent hardware. I've not seen any difference in stability compared to Windows (both are excellent), and software is pretty much a draw as well - Office is better on Windows, other graphics and medical software better on Mac. I really don't think there is any real difference in useability, although many Mac fanatics would disagree with me, I think both have strengths and irritations (Mac - no 'cut' in the file manager - why???) You pays your money... So, if I was buying a laptop to use as a laptop, I'd unhesitatingly buy another Mac (I bought this one for work with my own money (own company, but still)). If I needed a desktop replacement, or a desktop, I'd still go Windows. Although bear in mind any laptop price will probably need more spent on it to get enough ram, whereas the Mac comes actually configured to work properly. G P.S. Mac 13" still uses a Core 2 rather than an i3. The reason why makes sense though - if you want i3 and to have that size package, then you need to use the integrated graphics. There is not enough room for a discrete graphics card. As a result, Apple make a good case for Core 2 plus a proper graphics card giving the best performance / battery / power compromise. I regularly manipulate 0.5 Gb data volumes in ImageJ with no problems at all. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 09:44   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

P.S. if you do go for a Mac, do you know anyone in Education? If so, they get a worthwhile discount at the Apple store. Just a thought. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 10:25   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Windows does instant on. It is called sleep. Although a Mac laptop also writes the system state to disk as well. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 10:29   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

It does, that's true, but in my experience it's about 60% on pretty instantly and then there is several minutes of disc churning while it sorts itself out. In fairness I've not got much experience with Windows 7 on this, but XP and Vista were significantly lacking. My Mac is instant on to fully usable - a significant difference in productivity sometimes, and very helpful when I want to show someone something during a meeting with clinicians - they are not the most patient of people. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 16:23   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

SO, Thanks for the info on the Mac Pro. Nice to know it's a proper, capable machine, although most of my buying motivation is I simply like the idea of having one. Having said that, with a bit of poke at my fingertips, I might be able to develop my leisure computing. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 16:29   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

No problem with that Iffy - I "just wanted one" and treated myself to one as my 50th approached - If I was ever in the market now for desktop when my noisy clunky MESH finally dies I'd buy an Apple product like a shot now based on my experiences with the MacBook Pro - it's not wrong to want things for their own sakes. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 19 Oct 10 19:25   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...it's not wrong to want things for their own sakes... That's precisely where I'm at, worrying about being excessively extravagant. There will be little joy in my new Mac if I have guilt pangs every time I switch it on. Only I can sort that one out, but my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the thread. Each of the posts has been helpful and show that 99.9 per cent of C4P members wouldn't do you a bad turn if they could do you a good one. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 20 Oct 10 00:18   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Iffy, part of why people end up liking Apple products (even Zero likes the iPhone!) is the software. The design of hardware is very good too and not to be ignored. The excellent Unibody Aluminium construction of the MacBooks would be an example. But visit an Apple store and try out Mac OSX itself but also iLife (includes iMovie and iPhoto). If you want to bounce thoughts/ideas of someone then you might know my email already and if not ask a mod. And I decided to get an Android phone and not an iPhone :-) But to have a valued iMac. Also check out (sorry for advert .... remove if warranted)... ScreenCasts Online. A Mac/Apple focussed site. Some of the tutorials are free but the paid for ones aren't expensive per quarter. I do know the site owner hence the warning for the mods. But it's a really good site. PS. I wonder if anyone wanting to join ScreenCasts for the Podcasts could get a discount if approached en masse? I know Don as I say. Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 20 Oct 10 at 00:19 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 20 Oct 10 05:41   I fancy a Mac - Pat

Iffy Stop giving youself a hard time and just ask yourself if you can afford it? If the answer to that is yes, then go out and get it and enjoy it. Sometimes we all deserve to treat ourselves a little bit, and all the justification you need is that it will make you happy. There's precious little of that about sometimes. Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 20 Oct 10 21:46   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

I wonder if iffy can convince himself the new MacBook Air's are worth it? Or will the old Air be available cheaper somewhere even? Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 20 Oct 10 23:19   I fancy a Mac - DP

>> Iffy >> Stop giving youself a hard time and just ask yourself if you can afford it? >> If the answer to that is yes, then go out and get it and enjoy >> it. >> >> Sometimes we all deserve to treat ourselves a little bit, and all the justification you >> need is that it will make you happy. >> >> There's precious little of that about sometimes. >> >> Pat Despite my anti-Mac rant earlier in this thread, I couldn't agree more with the above. Very few people buy Macs because they need them. People buy them because they want them. Whatever the arguments for and against, even the most ardent Apple-hater would have to agree that Apple make slick, well finished, desirable kit. And it's the desirability bit which keeps people buying them. If you want one, and are prepared to pay the asking price, go for it. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 20 Oct 10 23:22   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

Even the packing cases are well made - I can't bring myself to chuck the iTouch box two years on...:-( Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 21 Oct 10 00:53   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

The keynote speech today covering iLife 11 makes me want to upgrade and also glad I have a Mac. The iMovie trailer feature is really clever. And the new MacBook Airs are really good. Now I'm back to wanting a laptop - talked myself out of a MacBook Pro in the end but the Air is so good. Okay not powerful but a laptop done right IMO. If you get one PU I'll buy your MacBook Pro ;-) movies.apple.com/media/us/mac/macbookair/2010/ads/apple-macbookair-tv-ad-us-20101020_r848-9cie.mov?width=848&height=480 Reasons why the Apple method of making laptops out of machined aluminium does not impact on rigidity. Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 21 Oct 10 at 00:56 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 21 Oct 10 07:19   I fancy a Mac - Focusless

BBC news story on the launch of the new MacBook Air laptops - no hard drive, "0.11 inches thick at its thinnest point". www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11590805 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 21 Oct 10 11:03   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

New Air laptops already on sale from Apple's UK website. The 11" is 'only' £849. store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air Last edited by: Iffy on Thu 21 Oct 10 at 11:03 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 21 Oct 10 11:16   I fancy a Mac - Bagpuss

Wow, that is a nice machine. I can feel the need to finally justify upgrading from my 6 year old iBook. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 14:10   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

The deed is done. I am now the proud owner of a MacBook 13" Pro, and also the owner of a large credit card bill. Top marks to the Apple Store in Eldon Square, Newcastle. The Mac is listed at £995, but I pointed out (thanks to rtj70) it is available for £900 on Amazon. Charming young lass went 'to see the manager', and they agreed to match the Amazon price, bless 'em. My chosen accessories were a very clever and very overpriced Magic Mouse at £55, and a just plain overpriced shoulder bag at £49. Total bill: £1,004. I was very pleased with that, insofar as one can be pleased with such a thing. I had a couple of bags with me, and the sales assistant carried my new Mac to the CC3. A most agreeable buying experience. Let's hope I get on as well with the computer - early indications are that I will. Last edited by: Iffy on Sat 23 Oct 10 at 14:13 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 14:45   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Let me know if you need some tips etc. Hope you enjoy the Mac. I'd like a MacBook Air. And did you get iLife 11? If not with it you are eligible for a free upgrade (it's only £45 anyway). Last edited by: rtj70 on Sat 23 Oct 10 at 14:46 Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 14:54   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...And did you get iLife 11?... Yes, an upgrade disc, although I've not got around to installing it yet. So far, so very good. Expect a fulsome post from me about how wonderful Macs are in the near future. :) I looked briefly at the new Airs. My Pro is to replace my full-size laptop. A 13" Air would have been even dearer, and I wanted a machine with a DVD drive, even though I rarely use it. An 11" Air would be just the job to replace my Samsung netbook, but I'm not doing it. Not yet, anyway. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 19:27   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

Good for you. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 19:34   I fancy a Mac - Tooslow

"Total bill: £1,004" That can't be right. You were in Newcastle. It should have come to neen neenty neen. John Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 23 Oct 10 19:53   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...It should have come to neen neenty neen.... Wor computa's canny, mind. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 00:49   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

Someone like Stuartli or Zero (probably someone else) will come along and say why you've made such a mistake. And they will then also inform us how the free Windows equivalent of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, etc. are so much better. And have hands on experience of both the Apple and competition products. Saying Windows is better than Mac OSX is too basic. An operating system needs apps. I really hope you become a convert. Says the man who would like a Mac laptop and could have got an iPhone and opted for Android. I could get the laptop but not sure I need it. I would like one and the new MB Air looks tempting. Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 24 Oct 10 at 00:52 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 09:26   I fancy a Mac - Zero

Firstly well done to Iffy, its a nice piece of kit albeit wildly and stratospherically overpriced. However, recent events at apple have convinced me that the path of Steve Jobs is NOT the way to go. The newly announced Macbook Air's have been stripped of Adobe Flash player, and worse when web pages come up, the tweaked web browser gives you no clue as to why or where to get it. You have to know what wrong and fetch and load flash player manually. If that's not bad enough, Jobs how now decided that Sun Java is not on his plans, so that will be removed from the next release of the OS, and the current Java on mac will be the last update. The clue is the new upcoming App Store for Mac. Jobs is trying to close down the mac and have full control over where and what you can get, IE only from Apple. This is going to backfire badly for Apple, with many developers deserting the platform in the long term. I was pondering about a nice light macbook air, given that I have some more funds being unlocked soon, but this has convinced me this is not the path to take. In 4 years time expect the mac interface to look like and feel like the iphone Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 09:33   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

Agreed Z, I love my Macbook, but if it goes the way Jobs seems to be planning, I'll be back to Windows in a couple of years time when it needs replacing. I don't want someone in the US deciding what they think it's okay or not for me to use my computer for. On the iPhone such control is a (just) acceptable compromise for a phone that never crashes and just works. On a computer? No. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 24 Oct 10 05:23   I fancy a Mac - Pat

Nice to know you heed the advice of a female.....:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 09:05   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

Iffy, one thing I forgot to mention, it's easy to make Mac's play nicely with Windows formatted hard drives (useful for keeping external drives / USB keys playing nicely with the world). I use a program called Tuxera NTFS for Mac - just a set of drivers that you install then forget about (hence I forgot about when advising). I've found it to work seamlessly, and no, I've no connection to them. www.tuxera.com/products/tuxera-ntfs-for-mac/ G Last edited by: Statistical Outlier on Mon 25 Oct 10 at 09:06 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 09:32   I fancy a Mac - Tooslow

We've heard no more from him on the subject. How hard are these things to switch on? And in the ongoing pedantry debate, I'm typing around a cat. A small one fortunately. If the other one turns up b oujpnyo-hub/;; trcuinjoitclk.i :-) John Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:07   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

....How hard are these things to switch on?... Ha-ha, very good, instant start-up isn't quite as instant as they say it is. I've read Zero's post, and while it has the ring of authority about it, I'm not sure I fully grasp what it means. I suspect I may not come up against the problems he mentions because I'm a fairly light leisure user. Bit of surfing, bit of email, some iTunes, print the occasional document and not much else. So my MacBook is not only wildly over-priced, it's also wildly over-specced. Or is it? I'm connected to the forum at the minute via my Orange dongle, which works noticeably quicker than when I was last in this location with the netbook. Same applies to the broadband at Iffy Towers and at the caravan. I much prefer the Apple environment, partly because it is easier for me to use. Just one example, I opened my first emailed pdf document yesterday. No firing up Adobe whatever-it-is, no downloading updates or attempts to sell me a full version. The document just opens, and quicker than I've ever seen a pdf doc open. The auto-backlit screen has already come in useful, it's on now. I listened to The News Quiz on iPlayer as I often do, and my Mac speakers are far superior to any computer I've ever owned. Seems to me the MacBook is a better piece of kit in every respect. And so it should be for the money. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:16   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

You'll also find creating a PDF from anything is also very easy on the Mac. PDF is a fundamental bit of the screen drawing process on the Mac so it should be quick. Similar to how Mac OS X's predecessor (NeXtStep) used Display Postscript.... and Steve Jobs was the one that was behind NeXt of course ;-) And now Mac OS X is really based on that operating system. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:20   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

You're right about the sound quality - the video is better than my Gateway. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:23   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

The MacBook's are better than the laptops most of us use - because they use some more expensive parts. The only low spec parts tend to be the processors. A high spec HP Envy or similar quality laptop would be better than your average Windows laptop - and comes at a price. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:27   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

Despite being of inferior quality to the Apple my Gateway has had four years constant use has been dragged hither and tither (including on the back of my bikes) but still works - I paid 75 quid to get the power supply fixed on it (dodgy connector) last year and decided I wouldn' spend any more on it but seems to go on and on... (phtttt....!) Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:25   I fancy a Mac - Tooslow

Gateway v Apple. Isn't that Lidl v. Waitrose or NSU Prinz v. BMW 530? John Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 14:28   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

You're right the Gateway was an impulse buy in Tesco - it wasn't really cheap (more Skoda v. Audi) but it got good reviews at the time and has served me well. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 16:10   I fancy a Mac - Zero

>> I've read Zero's post, and while it has the ring of authority about it, I'm >> not sure I fully grasp what it means. >> >> I suspect I may not come up against the problems he mentions because I'm a >> fairly light leisure user. It means "dont update the OS on your macbook at any time in the future" and "never buy another one" And you wont hit any of the problems coming down the pipeline. You will need to be a bit canny and informed about updating various bits of the OS by yourself, without apples help. Last edited by: Zero on Mon 25 Oct 10 at 16:11 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 17:42   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...It means "dont update the OS on your macbook at any time in the future" and "never buy another one"... The girl in the shop said something about a new OS next year. As regards not buying another one, I hope to get a few years of wear out of this one. No plans to buy any more computers for some time. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 17:45   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

Only negative thing about the aluminium casing is that it gets very cold in winter. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 17:53   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...Only negative thing about the aluminium casing is that it gets very cold in winter... By golly, you're right. The computer's been in the boot of the CC3 for an hour or two and it's chilled to the marrow. I've just been playing with the speech utility. It read an article from the Daily Mail quite well. Very few things trip it up. Extremely clever piece of software, although I'm not sure if it has much practical use. Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 25 Oct 10 at 17:53 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 18:15   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

>> The girl in the shop said something about a new OS next year Mac OS X 10.7 is out next year - it is codenamed Lion. All of Mac OS X versions have been named after big cats. I am sure I will upgrade but it won't be as cheap as the upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard - that was less than £10 for me, paying only 'postage'. And although Zero is right that they are now leaving off Flash and in the future Java.... Microsoft does not provide their own Java anymore after losing a legal battle a long time ago. And if you visit a website that needs Flash you do had a message. Zero must get this all the time on his iPhone ;-) Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 25 Oct 10 at 18:18 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 18:37   I fancy a Mac - Zero

>> And although Zero is right that they are now leaving off Flash and in the >> future Java.... Microsoft does not provide their own Java anymore after losing a legal battle >> a long time ago. MS lost the Java court case because they made a unique version of Java, against the rules. Th problem with future Java on the Mac, is the new Application store. Once that's locked into the OS you will only be able to load apps and updates from Apple. This means NO java on the Mac at some time in the future. Control of apps and OS will be locked down, exactly like the iphone. >> had a message. Zero must get this all the time on his iPhone ;-) Nope - not at all. The lack of flash on the iphone really is a non issue. As I suspect it will be on the mac, BUT, I want to be able to load what I want on a PC, not what Jobs tells me I can. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 18:36   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...t's easy to make Mac's play nicely with Windows formatted hard drives (useful for keeping external drives / USB keys playing nicely with the world). I use a program called Tuxera NTFS for Mac... SO, Thanks for that. I've plugged in my one USB stick and that appears to work OK, a document opened, and I was able to copy/drag a pic to the desktop. My Seagate USB drive which I use for back-ups is also recognised, and the files appear to open as they should, not that I understand most of them. The Mac does want to wipe/reformat the drive if I want to use it as a back-up. I'm sure there's a way of using the same drive for backing-up both the Mac and my netbook. But for simplicity, I'm inclined to buy a new USB drive to back-up the Mac, and keep the old Seagate for backing-up the netbook. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 19:48   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

Mac will, unless things have changed, read from a PC formatted drive no problem. I don't think it will write to it though. Certainly it won't write to a NTFS drive, but it might to a FAT32 (I'm not sure, all mine are NTFS), which could be what you use? If you buy a new drive for Mac for backup, get something 3-4 times bigger than the internal drive and use timemachine - included with the Macbook. It will let you roll back to any point you want, restoring the entire machine and not just your files. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 19:58   I fancy a Mac - BobbyG

>>My chosen accessories were a very clever and very overpriced Magic Mouse at £55, and a just plain overpriced shoulder bag at £49. Total bill: £1,004. I was very pleased with that, insofar as one can be pleased with such a thing. £104 for a mouse and bag. Sorry a very clever mouse? What makes a £55 mouse so clever? They say one is born every day........... :) Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 20:00   I fancy a Mac - R.P.

It is a fierce bit of kit though I'd struggle to justify £55 quid - go mine for 15 quid from a contact - still in its box. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 20:47   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...What makes a £55 mouse so clever... Well, it's Bluetooth, so there's nothing to plug into the computer, and there's no scroll wheel, you scroll by stroking it, and you can scan left and right, and you can zoom in, and you can turn back and forward through web pages, and.... As I said, a very clever mouse. Squeak! Squeak! Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 20:52   I fancy a Mac - Zero

Doesn't the *free* touchpad on the macbook do that? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 25 Oct 10 21:02   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...Doesn't the *free* touchpad on the macbook do that?... Yes, and a bit more besides. You can do other things with three fingers and four fingers (not what you think, BBD). I've only ever tried to use the rubbishy touchpads on cheap laptops, so assumed I would need a mouse. The touchpad on the MacBook is a cut above, but I am used to using a mouse and quite like the enhanced Apple version. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 28 Oct 10 18:36   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

Why I like Macs, pt 76: Just printed my first document. How? Plugged in the printer (which the Mac's never seen), clicked 'print', and out came the document. Marvellous. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 28 Oct 10 20:56   I fancy a Mac - Statistical Outlier

Really glad to hear you're getting on well with it. There's always a worry when recommending an expensive toy that the recipient of the advice will follow it and then hate you when they disagree. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 29 Oct 10 01:56   I fancy a Mac - rtj70

I am glad you are enjoying it. If you're into photo and creating/organising/showing them then iLife is pretty good. I use iLife09 but you have the newer version. I've got a backlog of photos to do and still have a few things to decide how I will do them. I like using iMovie to create photo slideshows with pans/Ken-Burn type effects plus music. I can also export these to MP4 files using Quicktime which then allows me to use a USB attached device to speed up encoding (Elgato Turbo.264 HD, or something like that). I would still like a new MacBook Air... and an Aston Martin (PU mentioned the Bentley earlier but an AM would be nicer IMO). Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 29 Oct 10 09:08   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...There's always a worry when recommending an expensive toy... SO, True, although your posts were clearly from an informed user which gave me a good idea of how a Mac could work. Very helpful, thanks. rtj, Thanks for your input, too. I don't suppose my 'used' iLife disc is any good to you is it? It took a while to install, so I think it's the full programme, but might it be one use only? Can easily pop it in the post. Last edited by: Iffy on Fri 29 Oct 10 at 09:10 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 16:50   I fancy a Mac - paulb

OK, so thanks to this thread I am sitting here typing this on a brand-new iMac. I have been looking at these going "mmmm" for about 3 years now, and yesterday I finally reached the "ah, screw it, let's do this" point. Peer pressure? What's one o' them? ;-) Last edited by: paulb on Sun 31 Oct 10 at 16:50 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:01   I fancy a Mac - Pat

I suppose I'll get the blame for your Mac too then, Paul! Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:04   I fancy a Mac - Zero

Who blamed you for Iffy's defection then? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:06   I fancy a Mac - paulb

Me, I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just sitting here, enjoying a computer that just flippin' WORKS for a change. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:11   I fancy a Mac - Iffy

...enjoying a computer that just flippin' WORKS for a change... 'Just works' does seem to be the Mac's default position. I hope you are also enjoying the super-stylish desktop environment, the Magic Mouse and all the other Appley things which help make computing fun. Do you have one of the titchy cordless keyboards? If so, what do you think of it? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:31   I fancy a Mac - paulb

>> Do you have one of the titchy cordless keyboards? >> >> If so, what do you think of it? >> It's good. I thought I would miss the numeric pad, but so far, I haven't. Layout is a little different though - shift+2 for @ is a bit odd, plus I keep going for Home and End buttons that aren't there - but overall, very very nice. Also loving not having wires going everywhere. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 18:10   I fancy a Mac - paulb

>> Plugged in the printer (which the Mac's never seen), clicked 'print', and out came the >> document. >> Seconded. This one found (in about 3 seconds) a wireless printer it took me 30 minutes to sort out with the old PC. Is that not how things ought to be? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 19:12   I fancy a Mac - Tooslow

Oh good grief, can't you two admire you magic mice quietly in a corner somewhere? :-) John Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 19:14   I fancy a Mac - paulb

Oh mate, it's my first PROPER new gadget in over 4 years...... :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 31 Oct 10 19:14   I fancy a Mac - Tooslow

Oh go on then. But play nice and share with Iffy. :-) John Reply to this message | Report message